Ready for a roundhouse kick to the mouth? Well, Cluck Norris "Ass-Kickin’ Chicken" wants to give it to you.
This "virtual restaurant concept" is now open in Cincinnati and operating as a delivery-only concept out of the Liberty Center Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern's kitchen.
“Ever feel like you have an alter-ego? We do,” says Jim Sauter, vice president of Rusty Bucket, in a release. “As consumers’ expectations for restaurant dining and delivery have changed and evolved over the past year, the idea of Cluck Norris was born to reach guests in a fun, new way, highlighting an area of our culinary ability we feel very confident in."
As the name suggests, Cluck Norris specializes in chicken — fingers, wings, sandwiches, etc. — available in a range of sauces including Cluck's original, sweet chili, sriracha and "HOLY CLUCK!!"
The menu also boasts non-chicken items like the Indiana State Fair-style Pig Tenderloin, Yard Bird BLT and a variety of sides like chicharones, onion rings, mac and cheese, slaw and loaded fries.
In addition to bites, folks can wash down their food with both non-alcoholic and adult beverages, like six-packs, wine, sweet tea and lemonade.
Fans of the establishment's pellet ice can also order bags $2 each.
A release from Cluck Norris states that the brand first rolled out in Columbus in March and is in the process of spreading to other Rusty Bucket locations.
The concept of ghost or virtual kitchens isn't new, but it appears to have become more prominent since the pandemic began.
Guy Fieri — the spiky-haired, flame shirt-obsessed star of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and self-proclaimed "Mayor of Flavortown" — quietly opened a string of ghost kitchens throughout the United States, including three Greater Cincinnati spots at Newport on Levee, Deerfield Towne Center and The Square at Union Center. And just before the pandemic hit, chicken wing-centric joint Wing Squad began working out of Buca di Beppo's kitchen.
Cluck Norris is available via delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. For more info, visit the brand's Facebook page.